Mike Trout made waves in the baseball world in February by asserting that he wants to remain with the Los Angeles Angels — despite the lack of postseason success they've had throughout his 13-year career.
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While Angels fans were certainly grateful to hear this sentiment from their franchise player, other fans across the league criticized Trout for his steadfast loyalty, claiming it could cost him a chance to win a World Series ring.
Trout addressed these claims during an interview with The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal that was published Monday. He said, "[these fans' criticism] fuels me more. The overall satisfaction, when we do win here, it will be greater than if I did go somewhere else.
"So when I hear, 'Trout needs to get traded,' or, 'He's happy to be there,' they can say whatever they want," Trout continued. "I've got one thing on my mind: That's trying to win here."
One has to give Trout props for going against the grain and deciding that loyalty is more valuable to him than hopping around MLB teams to chase a championship.
Fans also seem to easily forget that there's more to requesting a trade than simply swapping squads. If Trout was to be traded, that would mean uprooting his wife and son to a completely new city, altering his lifestyle and remaining unsettled in a new situation for the foreseeable future.
Lack of winning aside, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Trout isn't eager to do that — especially considering his current location in beautiful Los Angeles.
Then again, every professional athlete wants to win — and usually seems willing to make such seismic sacrifices if doing so will help their chances of success.
Given that the Angels have Trout under contract until 2030, the pressure is on them to sign additional pieces around their future Hall of Famer in order to help them compete for a World Series.
However, perhaps they should start slow and instead set their sights on procuring the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2014.
